Wheatgrass is just what the name says---a grass grown from grain. It's a nontoxic food and, according to wheatgrass enthusiasts, a highly nutritional food at that. In a 2000 article on the nutritional value of wheat and barley grasses, Steve Meyerowitz, author of "The Organic Food Guide," notes, "As a source of nourishment, grass is a complete food containing all known nutritional elements." Not only is wheatgrass nontoxic, Meyerowitz says, just the opposite is true: Wheatgrass is detoxifying. "Grass is nontoxic in any dose," he writes, "but you may react to the results of its detoxifying power."

On the Other: It May Not Be All It's Juiced to Be

Wheatgrass may not be all it's juiced to be. Some enthusiasts tout wheatgrass as a miracle food, claiming shots of wheatgrass juice boost energy, help control weight, add body muscle, cleanse the system and ward off sickness. A 2000 Environmental Nutrition article says those claims are going a bit too far. While wheatgrass is healthy, EN says, "You'd have to consume an unappetizing amount of wheatgrass juice to get what's in just one serving of dark green leafies."

Bottom Line

It's safe to say that wheatgrass and its seeds are not toxic. As Meyerowitz notes, even people with wheat allergies can enjoy wheatgrass because, unlike other grain products, it transforms completely into a vegetable. So wheatgrass can be a healthy part of a well-rounded diet. But don't overdo it. "Grass is a powerful purgative for the liver," Meyerowitz cautions, "and too much can release too many poisons too quickly."

Source:

Healthy and Natural Journal, "Wheatgrass & Barley Grass," Steve Meyerowitz, June 2000.

Environmental Nutrition, "Claims for Wheatgrass Juice Are Mostly Out to Pasture," May 2000.